Olli Maatta did not have to spend long in Minnesota training camp before understanding the mood around the Wild.
The new defenseman arrived from Calgary in a summer trade after stops with the Flames, Utah and the Red Wings, and each of those places offered a very different backdrop. Calgary has not been back to the NHL playoffs since 2022.
Utah reached the postseason for the first time last spring only after Maatta had moved on. Detroit, meanwhile, has spent the past decade outside the tournament.
So when Maatta got his first real look at the Wild’s environment, the message was impossible to miss: one playoff series win was nice, but the appetite here is for more.
“I’m not gonna lie, it makes you a little nervous, but more so it makes you excited,” Maatta said. “That’s where you want to be. It’s been a while for me being in a situation like this that you really feel like have a chance to win.”
That sense of expectation has settled over the room. Players know the standard has changed after Minnesota’s run last spring, and they are talking about it that way. For Matt Boldy, Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes, the feeling around the team is no longer about simply getting back to the postseason.
“You win a series and it almost feels like now it’s expected to go further this year. And obviously that was the first series we’ve won since I’ve been here and obviously well before that,” Faber said.
The numbers behind that history are part of why the tone has shifted. The Wild’s second-most recent playoff series win came in 2015, when Faber was 12 and playing youth hockey in Maple Grove.
“I mean, there’s a new expectation, there’s a new level, there’s a new bar, individually and as a team,” he said. “And that’s a good thing.
It’s an exciting thing. It’s obviously going to take a lot of work for that.
That’s why it’s fun to be back.”
Nick Foligno sees the same edge. The veteran forward, who had two goals in the final game of Minnesota’s playoff run, said the group is carrying the disappointment of how last season ended. Colorado’s overtime goal in Game 5 of the Round 2 series closed the door on the Wild, and Foligno made it clear that one series win was never the finish line.
“I think our internal drive is what I like,” Foligno said. “I don’t think anyone’s happy with how things ended.
As happy as we were to win a round, it’s not what we set out to do. We set out to win four (rounds)…It was a disappointing end to a great season, and that’s how hard it is to win.”
That mindset helped convince Foligno, who turns 39 on Halloween, to sign a one-year deal and keep chasing a Cup. Coach John Hynes said that attitude is already showing up early in camp, even with the shortened timeline before the season starts.
“It’s less time. We’ve got to be ready to play, so what I see out here is a really focused group,” Hynes said.
“They’re competing hard. They’re driving it.”
For the Wild, that drive is aimed at a much longer spring than the one they just had. If everything goes according to plan, this push won’t end until June.
On Friday, Nick Foligno addressed speculation about his future after Marcus Foligno said Thursday that the “writing is on the wall” that his older brother would likely retire after the coming season. Nick pushed back on the idea that anything has been decided.
“He doesn’t have a clue,” Nick joked of his younger sibling’s presumption. “I don’t even know yet, honestly. I don’t really want to go down that road unless I know for sure…I want to enjoy this, and when I know, you’ll know.”
In Other News...
Charlie Stramel Has A Real Chance To Speed Up Wild Plans
Charlie Stramel has already begun to turn his recovery into part of the story in Minnesota. The 2023 first-round pick is back around the Wild at rookie camp after breaking his ankle in his final collegiate game, and he has been fully healthy and in full contact for about two months as he works to show the organization he is ready for the next step.
For a team always looking to accelerate the arrival of young talent, Stramel represents a player who could push the timeline a bit. The Wilds director of player development has been encouraged by his progress and his college career, and the next question is whether that growth is enough to put him in the mix for an NHL roster spot sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Contract Talks Put Wild Cap Pressure Into Focus
Quinn Hughes is heading into the final season of his current contract with the Wild, and the early start to talks on his next deal has already added another layer to Minnesotas offseason planning. His agent has begun discussions on a new contract, and NHL insider Michael Russo suggested Bill Guerin may be willing to meet Hughes preferred terms without much of a fight, which says plenty about how the organization views the player and the timing.
Hughes, for his part, has made it clear he is not in a rush to get anything done before the season and is staying focused on the present. That leaves the Wild balancing urgency and patience at the same time, with cap considerations hanging over a situation that could shape how the front office approaches the rest of its business while the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]